


I measure every Grief I meet

by kissedjk



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Annoyed Jeon Jungkook, But Good at Killing, Flirty Park Jimin (BTS), Friends to Lovers, Inspired by The Last of Us (Video Games), Jeon Jungkook is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Pain, lots of backstories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 10:21:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27469408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissedjk/pseuds/kissedjk
Summary: Jungkook was an asset the moment he set foot in Jackson County. At fifteen years old, he forced his way through security and property meetings. He would tail the adults when they ventured out to look for supplies or claim a building. He was quick on his feet and skilled with his hands, so much so that Si-hyuk wondered if he was born to be a killer.
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook & Park Jimin
Kudos: 2





	I measure every Grief I meet

**Author's Note:**

> You kind of have to play the game to get the general feel. But if you haven't, here are some footnotes so you can understand what they're talking about. 
> 
> Infected - an umbrella term for people who are infected by the virus. The virus comes from fungal spores that have festered and bloomed. To further understand, read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocordyceps_unilateralis  
> Clickers - people who have been infected by the virus for a long time. They are called clickers because they make clicking sounds from their throats.  
> Bloaters - people who have been infected by the virus for twenty years. Bloaters are huge and are protected by fungal armor. They are the hardest to kill.  
> Jackson County - a safe haven located in Jackson.  
> Boston - after the outbreak, government units tried to quarantine the survivors. The base in Boston is ruled by the state. Rations are distributed by the state.  
> Scars - a faction of people who hunt down other people for twisted purposes.  
> Hunters - a faction of people who hunt down other people for supplies.

When Jungkook had arrived in Jackson County as a fifteen year old boy, Si-hyuk remembered him to be rough around the edges, but not entirely unhappy. He had given Si-hyuk a note from his father with steady hands, and when Si-hyuk asked him where his father was, Jungkook did not utter a word for the next three days. He seemed to fit right in with the other boys, Namjoon especially. Like any other kid who had lost a parent, he stuck to Namjoon like he was family, and that was that. He was a quiet boy, but, well, every kid who had ended up in Jackson was quiet. 

He was the only kid eager enough to accompany Si-hyuk outside the gates. He watched Si-hyuk take down an infected and a Scar with a quiet steadiness. He imitated the way Si-hyuk sharpened knives and reloaded rifles and revolvers. He watched him craft molotovs and nail bombs. Later on, he would see Jungkook fervently recreating Si-hyuk’s arsenal with scraps of metal and liquor. 

Jungkook was an asset the moment he set foot in Jackson County. At fifteen years old, he forced his way through security and property meetings. He would tail the adults when they ventured out to look for supplies or claim a building. He was quick on his feet and skilled with his hands, so much so that Si-hyuk wondered if he was born to be a killer. It was a dark thought. 

However, not all strong boys were infallible. On the eve of his sixteenth birthday, the venturing group had been caught up by a squad of hunters. Si-hyuk had watched in fear as Jungkook had been grabbed from behind by a lone infected. He had stood frozen as Jungkook hacked away at the infected. What had stopped him in his tracks was the way Jungkook knelt next to the corpse, brought out his pistol, and put the barrel in his mouth. 

“Jungkook!” Si-hyuk shouted, blowing his cover. Bullets flew free as Si-hyuk made his way to the boy. He snatched the pistol away from Jungkook and held him in his arms as the boy wept. “You’re not infected. You’re not. Listen to me, you’re fine.” 

Seokjin had unleashed a string or smoke bombs, making a sliver of opportunity for them to get away. 

They returned that night to Jackson. Si-hyuk had grabbed Jungkook by the arm and threw him across the room, furious. “You got bit?” 

Jungkook shook his head as much as he could with his cheek pressed on the carpet. 

“Then what the hell?” Si-hyuk asked angrily.

“I…” 

“Si-hyuk,” Seokjin warned. “Leave us. I’ll talk to him. Namjoon just texted. Some--some smugglers just came through the gate. I think you need to check it out.” 

Seokjin picked Jungkook up as soon as Si-hyuk left the room. 

“You want to tell me what that’s about?” Seokjin asked. 

Jungkook shook his head. 

“You want to watch a movie with the other kids?” Seokjin teased. It didn’t work. 

Seokjin ended up taking him to the mini-theater held in an abandoned school gym. The school had been restored and cleansed of clickers and stalkers some years ago. Now, toddlers and teenagers milled about the halls during evenings to quietly celebrate another day of life. 

Jungkook sat between Namjoon and Seokjin that evening. It took an hour of Finding Nemo before Jungkook finally spoke. 

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” Jungkook explained himself. “For a moment, I saw a future of me just, just, tearing at people. Killing them and watching them die. I thought I was mad. When I killed the infected that got me, I saw a life of killing. And I don’t think…”

“You’re blameless, Jungkook, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Namjoon said. 

Jungkook shook his head. “I don’t think this is the kind of life that I want to live.” 

“Here.” Namjoon handed him a notebook. “I found this in one of the classrooms.” 

“It’s still intact? Even after twenty years?” Seokjin asked.

Namjoon nodded. “I disinfected it, too.” 

Jungkook opened the notebook and flipped through the pages. Hand-written paragraphs spilled all over the pages. 

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I want to believe that this will soon be over. Not by some miracle, but by us,” Namjoon said. “That notebook. It’s a testimony of life before. A life without violence. I know it might take another twenty years to drive out the infected and the hunters, but I have hope. If you don’t know what to live for, you should live for legacy.”

“Whatever it takes, Jungkook,” Seokjin added. “Everything that we do is for the people in the future.”

“Even if we go to hell?” Jungkook asked, unaware of his naivety. 

Namjoon laughed. “Maybe we can make another Jackson County in hell.” 

As Jungkook grew older, so did Jackson. The county grew from three families to sixty-seven families in a span of five years. The security got stronger, the resources grew more abundant due to agricultural innovations, and, of course, the hunters multiplied and the infected grew in numbers. The rotations were flawless. Si-hyuk and Jungkook, now partners instead of student and teacher, knew that one unchecked door would cause the entire place to crumble. Complacency was not common in Jackson. Anyone caught slacking during rotation was subjected to punishment: isolation. Anyone caught taking too many rations were forced to live off of bread and water for a week. For Jackson to be bulletproof, the people inside had to be meticulous. Made perfect. 

“Report.” Seokjin jogged alongside Jungkook as he made his way to the arsenal. They passed through the hydroelectric power plant and waved to a couple of workers. “Chief of public relations said to bring a bag of Jalapeno Cheetos on your way back.” 

“Chief of public relations did not say that,” Jungkook replied, smiling. “What’s up, Seokjin?”

Seokjin patted him on the back. “The sound alarms went off south of our border. That can either mean infected or hunters.”

“I know that,” Jungkook said, shrugging Seokjin’s hand off his back. “Anything else?” 

“Our eagles saw signs of intelligence just now. They’re making their way here, and the sound alarms are attracting a lot of clickers,” Seokjin noted monotonously. Eagles was the nickname for the group of people who stood by the watchtowers and observed the surrounding areas every second of the day. 

“Clickers can’t pass the dam or the barricade,” Jungkook assured him. “Unless those trespassers idiotically make a way for them.” 

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Seokjin said with a sigh. “So I’m deploying some guys with you.” 

Jungkook stopped in his tracks. “How many?” 

“Just a few. Calm down, JK,” Seokjin replied. “These guys are good.” 

“Namjoon and Si-hyuk can’t come,” Jungkook said. 

“Si-hyuk might be getting old, but he can handle himself. Namjoon, well, lucky for you he’s busy being a carrot farmer right now.” Seokjin retrieved his walkie-talkie from his bag and clicked it on. “Hoseok, do you copy?” 

Jungkook sighed in relief. “Tell them I’ll be waiting here.” 

Seokjin nodded. They entered the arsenal. The arsenal was once a worn down building with rotting walls. They had managed to restore it and replace most of the walls with metal bars, so heavily forfeited that anyone who tried to get through would have to pass through a series of locks that could only be opened by guys like Jungkook. 

“I’ll have the usual,” Jungkook said to the handler of gear. He adjusted the straps of his backpack as he waited. 

“Alright, I’ll get going. Don’t forget what the chief of public relations said,” Seokjin joked as he turned away from Jungkook. 

The handler gave him his rifle and revolver (complete with bullets and an extra box), on a silver tray that he slid through the bars. Jungkook took his rifle and slung it on his shoulder. He noticed how the handler took a sharp intake of breath as Jungkook reloaded his revolver right then and there. Looking up through his lashes, the handler hastily looked away. 

“Had a good time in isolation?” Jungkook asked calmly. 

The handler squeaked. 

“I had a friend who came with me down the subway.” Jungkook pocketed the box of bullets. “Just last week. You know, when his mask cracked and he knew the spores were already in his lungs, he didn’t hesitate to shoot himself.”

The handler looked up. 

“He’s the type of man that would sacrifice his life just to make sure that the rest of the pack lives on,” Jungkook said. He zipped up his bag. “He died for me. He died for you. For you to be caught sleeping while on the job, especially as the handler of half of our gear, is an insult to my friend. You better watch it.” 

The handler nodded. 

“You sleep again, and you’ll be sleeping forever,” Jungkook warned. 

“Come on, Jeon, you’re scaring the guy.” Jungkook turned and saw Hoseok entering the arsenal, along with three other guys. They all looked fresh from prep school. 

“These are the guys Seokjin sent? We’re positive on clickers, Hoseok,” Jungkook said. 

Hoseok nodded. “They’re two-time slackers.”

Jungkook’s expression darkened. “They’re not like us.” 

Hoseok rolled his eyes. “Si-hyuk’s orders.” 

“Tell Si-hyuk he can shove his orders up his nose.” Jungkook walked towards the slackers. “Go back to base. Hoseok and I can handle this.”

“Jungkook,” Hoseok warned. 

“They’ll die out there,” Jungkook said. “It’s not a lesson worth learning. Come on. Get your gear. We have to go.” 

= 

The first hour was quiet. Hoseok and Jungkook passed through soiled cars and managed to find some snacks in one of the dashboards. 

“You think Seokjin will like twenty year-old froot loops?” Hoseok joked.

Jungkook remembered the time they found Hoseok camped in an abandoned train cart, twenty feet underground. He was as thin as a skeleton at that time, but at the sight of Jungkook, Hoseok had jolted up like an old spring, an empty gun already pointed at Jungkook’s forehead. They had decided to take him in when he cleared the air with an ill-fitting joke. 

It was wonderful to see Hoseok in the sunlight. He said he had spent thirty days underground; to survive from that, Jungkook didn’t know what kind of strength it took. 

“Give me a taste,” Jungkook said. Hoseok laughed soundlessly as he opened the box and put a froot loop in Jungkook’s open mouth. 

A sound alarm went off before Jungkook could even process the taste. By instinct, Jungkook and Hoseok ducked behind the nearest road divider. 

Jungkook swore. “It came from that building.” 

He pointed to the train station and felt Hoseok tense up beside him. Jungkook gulped. He had set up an alarm in that train station about a month ago. It was located underground, far from hunters but susceptible to the infected. 

“Let’s go,” Hoseok said. 

They found their way inside the train station, rifles at the ready. From this far, they could already hear the clicking. They snuck their way downstairs and put on their masks. They crept further down, eyes peeled. 

Hoseok and Jungkook hid behind the curving desk. Jungkook could hear three clickers. Two on their left, and one on their right. Beyond the clicking, though, he could hear two people breathing heavily, likely crouched behind something just like them.  
Jungkook was confused. Hunters generally avoided the underground. He had no idea what faction was crazy enough to brave clickers in dark places like this. 

Jungkook did not like staying down here. He grabbed a brick from the floor, threw it across the room, and watched as the clickers gravitated towards the sound. Once all three of them were clustered, Jungkook lit a molotov cocktail and threw it to the direction of the clickers. The bottle exploded. The clickers screamed as flames reduced them to charred blobs of flesh. 

The moment Jungkook turned around, the trespasser grabbed Hoseok by the neck and dragged him away from Jungkook. 

Jungkook leapt up and pointed his rifle at the masked trespasser. Masked trespassers, he corrected himself. 

“Put your gun down,” the trespasser who had gotten Hoseok grunted. He had Hoseok in a headlock, a gun pointed at his temple. 

Jungkook’s gaze flitted to the other trespasser, who was pale as a sheet of paper. 

“What’s wrong with your friend?” Jungkook asked. 

“I said, put your gun down,” the trespasser hissed. 

“Jungkook,” Hoseok choked out. 

Jungkook put his rifle down. 

Before his rifle could touch the floor, Hoseok twisted his way out of the trespasser’s arms. He raised his gun and pointed it at the trespasser. Jungkook then pointed his rifle at the pale trespasser. 

“What business?” Jungkook asked. He saw that the pale trespasser could not hold a gun for his life, and the other trespasser was too shaken to aim properly. 

“Where’d you come from?” Hoseok asked. 

“Boston,” the first trespasser uttered shakily. 

“Are you the one who’s been setting off our alarms?”

“No,” the trespasser answered. “Hunters. We took care of them. They were chasing us.” 

“Why did you come here?” Jungkook asked. 

“Yoongi,” the first trespasser said. 

Jungkook raised his brows in amusement. “What about Yoongi?”

“He’s--He was my friend,” the trespasser answered. “He was my friend. We lost him two years ago, right here. In this area.” 

“Why did it take you so long to find him?” Jungkook asked. 

“We had to run,” the trespasser answered. His hands were shaking. 

“Tell me what’s wrong with your friend, and I’ll take you to Yoongi,” Jungkook said. 

“He’s alive?”

“Hell yeah, he’s alive,” Hoseok said with a light chuckle. It was a weird picture. A man laughing to himself while pointing a rifle to another man’s forehead. 

“My friend is fine,” the trespasser breathed out. “He’s just, he has a fever.” 

“You’re sure he’s not infected?” 

The other trespasser inhaled behind his mask. “I’m not infected. I…” 

“We ran across some Scars,” the first trespasser finished for him. “They were… holding a ritual.” 

“We have to go,” Hoseok started. Before Jungkook knew it, he could hear clicking coming from both sides. 

=

“You’re sure you don’t want to clear the subway?” Jungkook asked as the four of them went up. They blocked the staircase to the train station with two cars. 

“Not today,” Hoseok answered. “I heard too many clicking. We need numbers for that.” 

As soon as they neared the County, Jungkook let himself relax. He could see Jackson County’s watchtowers on the horizon. 

“So, names,” Jungkook urged. 

They took off their masks. Both of them were bruised and bloodied, their clothes soak with sweat, grease and dirt. 

“Jimin,” the first trespasser said. “Park Jimin.”

Jungkook stared a little too long at Jimin. 

“Taehyung,” the other trespasser said. He was regaining some color as they stood under the sunlight. 

“Why’d you leave Boston?” Hoseok asked. 

“The place was falling apart. People were starting to kill each other for supplies. We knew we had to leave,” Jimin answered. His voice, although stricken with fear, was pleasant. Cool, like a stream of clean water. 

“Huh,” Hoseok grunted. “Jungkook was from Boston, too.” 

“I was nine when my dad and I left,” Jungkook added. “Was it as pleasant as I remembered? You know, before people started killing each other.” 

“There were no rations for two weeks,” Jimin said. “The people were getting angrier everyday. When Taehyung and I raided the state office, we found that all of the authorities were either dead, or infected. Walking around, screaming. About fifty of the infected stood between the people and the food. People tried to sneak in. They weren’t so lucky. Before you know it, fifty infected turned to a hundred, and the rations were probably spoiled.” 

Jungkook thought about this as they found their way to the gate. Da Won and a couple of others pointed their rifles at Jimin and Taehyung as Jungkook and Hoseok found their way inside. 

“I’m going to take a shower,” Hoseok announced as he walked alongside Jungkook. 

“I’ll report,” Jungkook said. 

Contrary to what he promised, Jungkook turned around and returned to the gate to keep watch of the two trespassers. He climbed up the metal stairs to get to the top of the towers, where he could observe the commotion from the top of the gate. 

“They’re looking for Yoongi,” Jungkook told Da Won, who startled as she realized it was Jungkook. 

“We can’t put them through even if they have a name,” Da Won replied. 

“His last name is Min. Ask them if they know,” Jungkook instructed. 

Before Jungkook knew it, Min Yoongi himself tore through the gates and stood dumbfounded before Jimin and Taehyung. Jimin sank to his knees and started crying at the sight of Yoongi. 

Jungkook wondered what reunion was like. He wondered if he would cry if he found his father again. He sighed as he went down the tower and walked towards the dorm. 

He stripped off his clothes and jumped in the cold shower. Then, he scrubbed himself clean and did not stop until he was satisfied. Someone was pounding at the door. Probably his roommate, Yoongi. 

Jungkook got dressed and opened the door. It was Si-hyuk, not Yoongi. “What’s going on?”

“Report,” Si-hyuk inquired. 

“Train station’s infested with the infected, as usual. We can’t claim the area beyond the train station if we can’t find all the exits and entrances of the station. The sooner we block the area, the faster we can claim land,” Jungkook said. They had been at a stand-still. Jackson could not stretch its roots unless the subway was cleared. “Also, we found two trespassers. They came all the way from Boston. Passed a couple of hunters and Scars. I think they’re strong.” 

Si-hyuk nodded. “We’re claiming the station four weeks from now. You’re taking the lead.”

Jungkook sighed. “And all this time I thought you’d give the job to Hoseok.” 

Si-hyuk laughed at that. “I need someone who is not afraid of the dark.” 

“Anything else?” Jungkook asked. He ran a hand through his wet hair. 

“We’re sending a group next week to scout for the entrances and exits. The assignment is up for grabs,” Si-hyuk added. 

“I’m in. Anything else? Come on, Si-hyuk, pick up the pace,” Jungkook said. 

“Aera is cordially inviting you to the midnight dance later,” Si-hyuk blurted out. 

Jungkook raised his brows. “Your daughter.”

Si-hyuk nodded. 

“Your daughter is not interested in me,” Jungkook pointed out. 

“You’d be surprised,” the older man said. “Give her a shot, Jungkook.” 

“I’m not giving anyone shots,” Jungkook said slowly. “I’m...really not.” 

Si-hyuk sighed. “You have to learn how to live a kind of life that doesn’t involve killing.” 

Jungkook’s expression darkened. 

Si-hyuk raised his arms. “Listen, kid. If I could dance with my wife again, one last time, I would. But I can’t.”

“Because you divorced her thirty years ago. You know, before the outbreak,” Jungkook pointed out. 

“That’s not the point. The point is, I was happy with her for...a short time. But I was happy, and we should focus on that,” Si-hyuk said. 

Jungkook chuckled. “I’ll think about it, old man.” 

“Thank you, Jungkook.”

Jungkook paused before closing the door. “Si-hyuk.”

“What?”

“There’s a bloater in the train station,” Jungkook informed clinically. “Probably more than one.” 

Si-hyuk stood still. 

“A lot of people might die,” Jungkook said. “Don’t you think it’s best that we keep to ourselves? Stop trying to expand?”

Si-hyuk shook his head. “If Jackson doesn’t grow for the next twenty years, we’re doomed to die out. The soil won’t take. We have half of the forest, but we need the city, too. Not just for supplies. We wait for twenty years, and there will probably be a hundred bloaters in the subway.”

“Twenty years, huh,” Jungkook said. He watched the fine lines of Si-hyuk’s face. The man was always thinking ahead. He really was the legacy Seokjin always talked about. 

“It has always been us or them,” Si-hyuk said. 

Jungkook looked down at his socked feet. “Yeah, I know.” 

“You’re scared, boy?” 

Jungkook grinned. “Shut up, old man.” 

=

The midnight dance was usually held in one of the restored ranch houses deep within Jackson County. Those who had finished their rotations were more than welcome to celebrate in the ranch house. Extra rations to celebrate another safe week were distributed fairly by the people behind the long tables. 

What made the midnight dance so special was that, because of the curfew, the electricity within the residential area was systematically shut off to save energy, except for the ranch house. Anyone who wasn’t checking security or guarding the four arsenals were more than encouraged to join the monthly feast. 

People like Jungkook, on the other hand, usually slept through the dance. This time was different. He stood around the long tables with Namjoon, watching the dance unfold. 

“How was carrot farming?” Jungkook asked Namjoon. 

The older man shrugged. “Two percent rot due to overwatering. It’s looking good, nevertheless. The train station?”

“I’m positive of bloaters.”

“Fuck,” Namjoon swore. He laughed as he took a bit from his ration. “I think our best chance is to burn that area.” 

Jungkook shook his head. “Too many rooms down there. We might find some Hoseoks.” 

“We don’t need more crazy guys,” Namjoon joked. “Speaking of crazy guys, I heard you found non-hostiles.” 

“Apparently, they’re friends with Yoongi,” Jungkook said. “Have you seen them?”

“Yeah, a couple of hours ago in the cafeteria. They’re whispering to themselves too much. I’m not sure I like all the secrets,” Namjoon said. “What do you think?” 

Jungkook bit his lower lip. “I hope we don’t have to beat the crap out of them for them to spill their secrets.” 

“Here’s Yoongi,” Namjoon pointed out. They watched the older man find his way to them. His hair was bleached up the roots, his expression perpetually sour. 

“Didn’t think I’d see you here, Jungkook,” Yoongi said as a way of greeting. He nodded to Namjoon. 

“Report,” Jungkook said. 

Yoongi looked down at his feet as he leaned on the long table. “I didn’t think they’d cross the country for me.” 

Jungkook and Namjoon waited.

“We were all in Boston together. Two years ago, I got into a quarrel with one of the...soldiers,” Yoongi continued. 

“What kind of quarrel?” 

“I killed him,” Yoongi said. “He was trespassing our house. Probably for supplies. He wanted to get Jimin, for some reason.” 

“A crush?” Namjoon asked. 

Yoongi shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what the soldier wanted. He was done for. Jimin and I took care of him. It was only a matter of time before the others found out. I would have been forced out of Boston, anyway. I left. Jimin and Taehyung followed.” 

Jungkook took a bite out of his ration. “And?” 

“And, the clickers got to us. We were near the train station. You know, all that jazz,” Yoongi said with a sigh. “It was either me or them.” 

“You chose them,” Namjoon pointed out. 

Yoongi turned red. “It’s not that simple.”

“What do you mean?” Jungkook asked. His insides shriveled up as he saw Aera walk in the room. He really didn’t want to do this. 

“Heads up,” Namjoon whispered as Aera wove her way through the crowd to get to Jungkook. 

Jungkook sighed. 

“Aera, huh,” Namjoon lightly teased. 

Jungkook replied with a tortured expression. 

“Si-hyuk set you up?” Yoongi asked, smirking. “Seriously? His daughter? He wasn’t kidding when he said he thought of you as his son.” 

“Easy, Yoongi,” Namjoon warned. 

Aera smiled at the three of them. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Namjoon greeted. “How was your scout?” 

“We found a couple of clickers north of here. Managed to sneak our way past them. We cleared the mall of supplies. We’re good for the next month,” Aera reported. She looked at Jungkook. “Hey. Can I dance with you?”

Jungkook nodded. They headed to the middle of the room. Jungkook put his hands on her waist as Aera put hers on his shoulders. The dance started off as good, boring even, until Jungkook felt something cold against his neck.

He stilled. It was a small knife coming from Aera’s thumb. He stared at her, and she stared back, her lips no longer smiling.

“I need you to promise me your secrecy,” Aera whispered. The music was loud enough to drown out her voice, but at this proximity, Jungkook could hear every word she said.

“You’re turning your weapon against your own people. You’d be executed by sunlight,” Jungkook said coolly. 

“You would still be dead,” Aera said. “Jungkook, I’m not going to hurt you, but what I say next might. The knife is necessary. I need you to listen, and I need you to listen hard.” 

“What do you want?” Jungkook asked. 

“Your secrecy.” 

Jungkook gritted his teeth. He looked at her. She didn’t look like Si-hyuk. “Fine. You have it.” 

“There’s a hospital twenty miles north,” Aera said slowly. “It’s fully functional. There are doctors.”

“Are you sick?”

Aera shook her head. “No. They’re researchers, and they’re looking for a cure.” 

“Hey!” One of Aera’s friends greeted her jovially. The two of them jumped. The knife was retracted. Jungkook could breathe. 

“Hey,” Aera greeted back. 

“Switch?” Her friend requested. 

Jungkook nodded. He watched as Aera was whisked away by another man. 

“Jungkook, right?” the girl asked. “I’m Bell.”

“Hey,” Jungkook greeted. They swayed to the slow beats. 

“You know, you’re kind of famous in our sector,” Bell whispered. She was smiling. Jungkook wondered if all that smiling hurt. “You’re the mysterious soldier who sends slackers to isolation.”

Jungkook frowned at that. “It’s…part of the job.” 

“Yeah, I know. I was just wondering if--”

“Switch?” Aera interrupted their short conversation. Jungkook agreed and took Aera back.

“There is no cure,” Jungkook said as they subtly moved away from Bell and her partner. 

“We don’t know that,” Aera replied.

“Your father knows you’re a dreamer, or what?” 

“My father is losing himself,” Aera said. “He’s fraying at the edges. Why do you think he wants you to man the clearing mission for the train station so soon? He keeps talking about twenty years from now, as if it’ll come tomorrow. Listen, JK.” 

“I’m listening.”

“Stop rolling your eyes. You know Si-hyuk, but you don’t know him like I do. You don’t eat with him, you don’t watch television together,” Aera said. 

“I watched him take down an entire city so Jackson could rise,” Jungkook countered. “The only reason I don’t eat with him is because he keeps himself locked in his dorm.”

“For a reason,” Aera whispered. “Jungkook, the guy is suicidal.”

“Aren’t we all?”

Aera scowled at him. “No. Maybe you’re just as deranged as him. The difference is, I want to save him, not you.”

“So, what do you want? You want to help find the cure, kill all the infected, so your dad can be himself again?” 

Aera nodded.

“Do you have any idea how impossible that sounds?”

“It was impossible yesterday. Now? Not so much.” Aera leaned in closer. “There are rumors that someone found someone who’s immune to the virus.”

Jungkook snorted. 

Aera looked at him sadly. “You want this all to be over as much as the next guy, but you’re too beaten down to have hope.” 

Jungkook was quiet. 

“We need to find the immune, and we need to bring them to the hospital,” Aera said. “You vowed your secrecy. Now, I need to know if you’ll pull through with this.” 

“You want me to scout all over the country to look for someone immune to the virus,” Jungkook reiterated.

“You’re the strongest man I know,” Aera said. “If Jackson was raided by a hundred infected, I know you’d be the last man standing.”


End file.
